Pc Arron Lewars
(Picture: Supplied)A police officer with a remarkable ability to recall faces has been hailed for catching hundreds of wanted criminals — often just by a glimpse of their eyes or jawline.
Pc Arron Lewars, 37, stuns colleagues with his photographic memory utilised against 112 burglars, drug dealers, gunmen and high-ranking gang members since January alone.
The “super-recogniser” spotted an offender at the Notting Hill Carnival among two million faces being monitored from a control room in Lambeth. Police on the ground moved in through crowds to arrest the 30-year-old wearing sunglasses and a baseball cap.
“All I could see was his jawline on the screen,” Pc Lewars, pictured, told the Standard at Wednesday night’s Metropolitan Police excellence awards. “I’d spent 18 months looking for him. He’s dancing and having a lovely time, but you can’t even see his full face.
“My colleagues were questioning me, ‘Are you sure?’ before arresting him. I said, ‘100 per cent sure’. He’d evaded me on the street over a year ago. But I know he attends the carnival. I’d watched him dance at previous events. This guy was moving the same. I was very pleased.”
Recently, his team detained a serial burglar, 26, in the street after Pc Lewars spotted his eyes above a face mask and under a hood. Pc Lewars has spent 13 years working for an anti-violence unit covering Kensington and Chelsea and Hammersmith and Fulham. Before going out on patrol he studies mugshots, CCTV from raids and body-worn video, looking at how suspects walk, dress and for any scars and tattoos.
However, the officer revealed he aims to snare another raider who is reoffending after being released on bail. “He’s my target for the next two days,” Pc Lewars said. “Working on Westminster, there are not really many people I don’t recognise. I know where he frequents.
“Our team have a very good success rate for identifying people. Last year I identified 80. Since January, I’m at 112 — so I’m getting better.”
Meanwhile Sergeant Michael McGuirk and Pc Nikki Smith, both 30, were honoured for rescuing a Barnet man from a burning building in 2020. Pc Sobia Seher won a special recognition award for raising awareness of faith diversity. Pc Darren Shan won Police Officer of the Year for helping young people at Dwaynamics, a Brixton boxing gym set up by Pastor Lorraine Jones whose son Dwayne, 20, was stabbed to death in 2014.
Detective Chief Superintendent Tara McGovern’s team behind Signa, an internal project tackling misogyny set up after Sarah Everard’s murder, won The Building a Better Met award.
